Back when football was good, the UEFA Cup mattered and the trophy wa often coni,dered more difficult to win than the European Cup. The 1981 UEFA Cup Final was played on 6th May and 20th May, 1981 between Ipswich Town and AZ 67 Alkmaar of the Netherlands. Back in the summer of 1980, Ipswich Town had just finished 3rd in ye olde First Division, earning themselves a place in the following season’s UEFA Cup. The 1979/80 European campaign hadn’t been very successful, with a 10-1 aggregate against Skeid Oslo being followed by an ignominious exit to Grasshoppers Zurich after a 1-1 draw at Portman Road which followed the goalless First Leg. The team was rapidly changing from that which had won the FA Cup only two years earlier, in 1978, with Brian Talbot, David Geddis, Clive Woods and Mick Lambert having left the club, and Kevin Beattie, Allan Hunter and Roger Osborne all reaching the twilight of their careers. The emergence of the mighty centre-back partnership of Terry Butcher and Russell Osman, along with the signings of Arnold Muhren and Frans Thijssen had given the team solidity and flair, and the goalscoring prowess of Alan Brazil and Eric Gates was proving to be an excellent addition to Paul Mariner in attack. Ipswich were ready to take on Europe the following season.The First Leg of the UEFA Cup Final came only four days after Town had lost their chance to win the League Championship, and less than a month after the heartbreak of being knocked out of the Semi-Final of the FA Cup, in extra-time. This, then, was Town’s last chance of silverware. Ipswich Town won an epic two-legged tie 5–4 on aggregate: